Next version of Google Chrome to enable background-running apps

Google has just added a new feature to the next version of Chrome that could possibly lead to new exploits through the web browser. Apps and extensions for Chrome will now be able to run in the background even if the Chrome web browser window is closed. While this brings additional functionality to certain apps such as the Gmail notification extension (you can now get new Mail/Gtalk alerts if Chrome is closed), it does lead to the possibility of apps running tracking or monitoring processes in the background. It hasn’t been said how Google will prevent such misuse of the functionality, but let’s hope they keep the feature under testing until they’re sure about the full extent of its potential. But if things go well, this simple new feature could also open up a whole new range of apps that can be developed for the Chrome web browser. What do you think of background applications for Chrome?